Boots the tortoise was found at the former Twist of Fate property locked in a dark room inside the house where Ashley DiFelice and her young son Deacon were living.
Just like all the other rooms of the house, Boots' prison was filthy, cluttered, and had animal waste all over the floor. Boots had no fresh water or food, his shell was dirty, and who knows how long it had been since he had seen a human or even sunlight. I believe Boots was originally named Titan, though I don't know anything about his original rescue story.
Boots is a Sulcata tortoise, also called an African Spurred tortoise, which is an endangered species originally from the Sahara Desert in Africa. They are one of the largest tortoise species in the world and they typically have brown to yellow shells and very thick, yellowish-brown skin along with pointed scales or spurs on their legs. An adult can be 18-30 inches long (46-76 cm) and weigh 80-150 pounds (36-68 kg). Their life expectancy is also around 80 years, so they are a lifetime commitment! They are known to be curious and docile, but don't like to be handled a lot as this can cause them stress or health issues.
Boots ended up at the perfect sanctuary - The Riley Farm Rescue (@therileyfarmrescue)! Marla took him home since Riley Farm is home to several reptiles already and she has loved reptiles since she was little (her father was an animal behaviorist and studied reptiles, and so therefore they had a lot in their home).
Boots is currently living on "Tortoise Island" at Riley Farm with three other Sulcata tortoise friends - Fiona, Groot (who is still in need of a sponsor!), and Lola. There they spend their days roaming freely, eating grass, soaking up the sun, digging in the dirt, and enjoying the sprinkler and playing in their shallow pool splash pad to stay hydrated. It's such a difference from where Boots was and his previous condition - back at TOF he probably spent his days wondering if and when he would ever get any food or water.
It is so wonderful that Boots was rescued and gets to live out the rest of his life in sanctuary with friends and have his basic needs taken care of every single day by his new human family at Riley Farm. To follow along with Boots, give @therileyfarmrescue a follow to see him and all of their other animals too (Riley Farm rescued a total of 6 animals from the Twist of Fate cruelty case, including Clovis! The other animals will all have their stories shared soon). If you'd like to help with Boots' care, you can send donations via their website, Venmo (@therileyfarmrescue), CashApp ($therileyfarmrescue), or PayPal (therileyfarmrescue@gmail.com). To make a monthly donation towards his care or anyone else's at the sanctuary, you can join their Patreon for any amount or sponsor one of the animals by joining their Hoof Patrol. They also have an Amazon Wishlist and adorable merch for sale here and on Bonfire. AND if you're near the Canterbury, CT area or want to plan a trip, you can book a private tour of Riley Farm here!! Riley Farm just adopted a mini horse that they named Cornelia who needs a sponsor and a hoof hero! Contact Riley Farm in a direct message on Instagram for details.
The above photo was taken by the very talented Britt Bosse (@britte.bosse). I definitely recommend giving her a follow - she takes AMAZING photos of animals in the wild and at several sanctuaries too. She also has a print shop and a portion of all proceeds from sales are donated to animal sanctuaries. Be sure to check out her 'This is Sanctuary' Collection! You can also sign up for her newsletter.
(April 2nd, 2024) An update on Boots: sadly Boots passed away in the middle of March of 2024. Because he had MBD and suffered years of neglect his immune system just wasn't strong enough to fight off a respiratory infection. Boots was and is very loved and will be missed.
Thank you so much for being here! Another animal's rescue story is coming soon.
As always, you can view additional photos of the animals mentioned in the stories on my Instagram, @ispellithaley. (A few words about this: I have recently been bullied and verbally attacked by several people in my own life about the petition and my overall veganism in general. I have been vegan for over 6 years and I'm quite used to this, as this type of behavior is more about people projecting their own feelings of guilt, anger, etc on to me than about what I am actually doing, saying, or writing. However, as a result of this I have recently made my Instagram account private. I am still posting about the animals when I share their stories along with many other topics, so feel to free to follow me on IG anyway!)
Ashley's next court date is October 12th.
Please continue to share the petition across all channels. (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, NextDoor, YouTube, WeChat, Telegram, Pinterest, Reddit, Tumblr, etc, and please send it directly to people via email and/or text). If you have already shared it, please share it again.
We are trying to get as many signatures and comments on the petition as possible before then - it would be great to break 15,000!! Thank you!!